Check your bike if it is under a cover

[Grant31781 37]

My bike has been under a cover under my tractor shed for 2 weeks. The weather was nice today so I  uncovered it to find sand all over the seat and tank. Then I noticed a chunk of the rear seat strap had been chewed off. Squirrels or rats have to be the pest. I have been storing it this way for 5 months with no problems till now.

 

Not happy!! But nothing I can do. Now I have the bike by the house out in the open under the cover. The cat also stays around this area.

[DewMan 1,006]

Sounds like a perfect excuse to upgrade that vinyl covered plank they call a seat.

[JBrock 27]

Maybe have it recovered in squirrel fur as a warning. 

[Grant31781 37]

It's the back seat. Lol. I am thinking of making an electrical grid around the bike powered by a continuous current fence charger. That should keep them away.

[bornagainbiker 895]

Knock on wood, I've had no rodent problems with my bike, but my car is another story.  For some reason, mice thought that the air filter of my car was a great place to stash seeds.  I had to replace several air filters, well before their time, because of the furry little devils.

[firstyammerha 68]

maybe an upholstery shop or leather shop can create a replacement.

[timjh 145]

Also, don't forget to plug the exhaust...

[Grant31781 37]

I made a shock pad with a constant current fence charger. I found a lizard dead on it and a few roaches. The cat walked across it and seemed to have had a hell of a shock!  It works fine in dry weather. Rain temporarily shorts  it out. I will have a new 22'X26' shop to put my bikes in the next 6 weeks!

[botticelli 142]

Put a little Listerine on the seat before you store it for a long time. Mice and such hate the minty smell, and it wipes right off.

 

~Pete

[Grant31781 37]

The shock pad works! There was a dead mouse on it this morning.

[njdevils1990 95]

When I used to not ride as often with my first bike I kept it in the garage for a few months with luckily no issues though we've seen rats around the house a few times in the past. Luckily for me now the longest I'll keep my bike parked is about a week, only for bad winter weather. The only exception was the 7 months I couldn't ride recently and still had no issues luckily. Started riding on the 4th February and have put 3,000 miles on the bike so far.

[rider 499]

On 3/1/2019 at 1:33 PM, Grant31781 said:

I will have a new 22'X26' shop to put my bikes in the next 6 weeks!

A new shop.  Nice, congratulations. 

Remember, one of the most important decisions of outfitting a shop is TV size and placement.  You have to be able to see the game/race/action movie from almost everywhere.

[Grant31781 37]

On 3/10/2019 at 6:57 AM, rider said:

A new shop.  Nice, congratulations. 

Remember, one of the most important decisions of outfitting a shop is TV size and placement.  You have to be able to see the game/race/action movie from almost everywhere.

Thanks I am super excited. I am tried of working on stuff in sand an mud under the tree! My last  job were axles seals on a D250 dodge.  Crawling around in Gear oil,mud and sand  sucks. Plus it is fun rolling a floor jack in mud. That works well! A 2 post lift will be installed soon, so no more crawling!

Edited March 15 by Grant31781

[Beemer 4,253]

It sounds like you got aggressive and took care of your problems quickly, good for you! I was going to suggest something, it can still be used for other things if you need it. I used to have an American Fuzzy Lop that naturally had a habit of chewing on things like speaker wires (his favorite) and I found that a slurry of cayenne pepper protects things from animals that like to chew. As for new shop I recommend a comfy, relining chair of sorts (w/footrest) and a mini fridge.